Strong Partnerships Needed in Fight Against Lottery Scam – Ambassador Vasciannie

Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States (US), Professor Stephen Vasciannie, says strong partnerships are needed in the fight against the lottery scam.

“We cannot live like this. Jamaica will destroy its tourism sector, its remittance sector, and business sector more generally, if the country assumes that the rest of the world will eventually ignore the lottery scam problem,” Ambassador Vasciannie said.

“The fight against the activity requires crucial partnerships,” he added.

Ambassador Vasciannie was delivering the keynote address at the launch of the University of the West Indies’ (UWI) Western Jamaica Campus Ambassador Corps, at the Iberostar Hotel in St. James on Thursday, March 13.

He noted that the scam, based largely in western Jamaica, has brought untold grief for vulnerable persons in Jamaica, the US and elsewhere, and must be destroyed.

He said Jamaica is implementing a number of measures to address the scourge, including critical legislation, and was working with authorities in the US and civil society groups in both countries.

The Ambassador called on the UWI Western Campus to look into the issue by pursuing research on the nature of the problem, the circumstances giving rise to the scam, and the moral implications of the scamming activities.

The UWI Ambassador Corps, an initiative of final year students at the Caribbean Institute of Media and Communication (CARIMAC), comprises 12 leaders in the areas of education, civil society, the public and private sectors, who will work to promote the interests of the university and the wider business community, through lectures and other fora locally and overseas.

By Garfield Angus, JIS Reporter